Paper 2 — Fundamental Problem-solving and Programming

75 marks · 2 hours · 50% of the AS Level Pseudocode follows the Cambridge Pseudocode Guide for Teachers.

Not yet built

No Jigsaw or Pack notes exist for this paper. The sections below are the syllabus scope, so the structure is ready when the notes are written.

Topics in scope

9 · Algorithm Design and Problem-solving

Abstraction and decomposition · algorithms as defined steps · structure charts, state-transition diagrams, pseudocode and flowcharts · stepwise refinement · identifying and correcting errors · writing and completing trace tables.

10 · Data Types and Structures

Data types and record structures · arrays (1D and 2D) · files (serial, sequential, random) · abstract data types — stacks, queues and linked lists.

11 · Programming

Programming basics · selection and iteration · built-in functions · structured programming with procedures, functions and parameters.

12 · Software Development

Program development lifecycle · testing strategies · test data selection · debugging and maintenance.

Why this paper is different

It is a skills paper, not a recall paper

Paper 1 rewards knowing mark-scheme wording. Paper 2 rewards writing working pseudocode under time pressure and tracing other people’s code accurately. The Jigsaw–Pack split still applies, but the Pack would be worked problems rather than recall questions. Practising past papers matters more here than anywhere else.

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